Kindergarten
by writer writing
Summary: Lois and Clark's son, Skyler, goes to kindergarten. Kindergarten is a little different when you're the son of Superman.
1. Separation Anxiety

"We talked about this last night, Smallville. Skyler needs to go to kindergarten like all the other kids do."

"But, Lois, I just don't think he's ready."

"He's 5 years old. He's ready."

"You know what I mean. He's stronger than other kids and he's got a huge secret to carry. His dad is Superman."

"For the hundredth time, Skyler can keep a secret and didn't you go to kindergarten?"

"Yeah, but that was different."

"How?"

"It just was."

"He's going to do fine."

"Why can't we just home school him?"

"Reason number one, the point of kindergarten is interaction and play with other children. It builds language development. ABCs, numbers, colors are all secondary in kindergarten. Reason number two, we both work for a living."

"You've done your research."

"I'm prepared for anything you try to dish out."

"Who came up with kindergarten anyway?"

"Glad you asked. This old German guy, whose name is hard to pronounce, that's why kindergarten is a German word. It means children's garden."

"It was a rhetorical question but thanks anyway."

"You're welcome."

Then she yelled, "Skyler Jonathan Kent, haven't you finished getting ready yet? You're going to be late!"

A little boy with light brown hair and sky blue eyes came running into the kitchen. "Sorry, Mommy. I want to look my best. I want my teacher to like me."

"She will, sweetheart," Lois assured him.

"I just got to get my shoes on," he said, running back out.

"He's so excited, Clark. He couldn't sleep last night. Do you want to be the one that tells him he can't go?"

"No," he muttered.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," Skyler called from the living room. "Don't forget my Spider-Man lunchbox!"

Clark picked it up and gave it to Lois. "A Spider-Man lunchbox packed by Superman."

"Don't be sore, honey. Nobody wants their dad on their lunchbox," she kissed his cheek. "See you at work."

"Shouldn't I go along, as a parent, so I can be a part of his first day of school?"

"You already were a part of it. You operated the camera this morning and you packed his lunch. I know you. You'll get there and then won't leave him there. I'm the tough one emotionally. Plus, you never know when an emergency might pop up."

Lois went into the living room and Clark followed."Tell Daddy bye," Lois said.

"Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, son," Clark said, his voice cracking with emotion.

---

Lois pulled up to the big brick building with Metropolis Elementary written across it in big white letters. She asked for directions to Mrs. Ferguson's classroom in the was a nice classroom. It had lots of windows to let the sunshine in. It was colorfully decorated and most of the kids were already there, laughing and playing. Mrs. Ferguson was on the young side with carrot-colored hair and freckles. She looked friendly.

"Okay, Skyler. I'll see you after school. Daddy and I will pick you up right at 3:00."

Skyler wrapped his arms around her. She ruffled his hair. "I'll miss you too. Now go play with the other kids."

He looked up at her and whispered, "I changed my mind. I want to go to Grandma's like always."

"I know it's a little scary at first. but you'll like it here," Lois said.

He shook his head and clung to her tighter."If Mommy doesn't leave soon, Uncle Perry is going to yell at her."

Lois tried to pry him off her but it was pointless. Only Superman was strong enough for the job.

Mrs. Ferguson came over. "Hi, you must be Skyler."

He looked at her suspiciously and nodded slowly.

"We're going to have all kinds of fun. We're going to sing songs, finger paint, play on the swings. Everyone is really nice and wants to be your friend."

He thought about it for a bit and then let go.

"Come on," Mrs. Ferguson said, "and I'll show you all the cool colors of play dough we have. Tell Mommy bye."

"Bye, Mommy," he said.

"Bye, baby."

She left the classroom. She waited a couple of minutes and peeked through the door, ready to take him out if he still looked upset. However, he looked like he was already having fun as he made a long, green snake out of the play dough. Her eyes filled up with tears. Her little boy was growing up

TBC


	2. First Day

It wasn't long before Mrs. Ferguson told them it was time to put their things away and start the day. Skyler got butterflies in his stomach. He had been happy playing with the clay but now he didn't know what to do.

She called them over one by one to their desks. Each desk had a sticker with their name on it. "Skyler," she called.

He took a deep breath and walked past the cubby hole where his book bag and lunch stayed. His chair and desk were the perfect size for him. Once everybody was in their seats, Mrs. Ferguson began to talk. Skyler listened closely. He liked her.

"Okay, guys and gals. As you all know, my name is Mrs. Ferguson. I'm working on learning all of your names. We're all going to be friends and be nice to each other and that boys and girls is the first rule in this classroom. The second is that you must stay in your seats and only talk if you raise your hand. Now any minute the principal is going to come on the intercom, which is something like a walkie talkie. We're going to say something called the pledge of allegiance. Most of you won't know the words for a while. It has a lot of big words, but you can still stand up and put your hand over your heart. Then we're going to have a moment of silence, where we stay quiet and you can think to yourself whatever you want. He'll have some announcements and then we'll go from there."

Almost as soon as she finished her speech, a voice came over the intercom. "Good morning, everyone. Welcome new students and returning students. We shall now recite the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Skyler's mouth hung open. He'd never learn all that in a million years.

During the moment of silence everyone looked bored and impatient except the teacher. Her head was bowed, her eyes were closed.

The principal came back on and reminded them that there was an open house for the parents on Friday. He wished them a great first day.

"Okay, class, now I'm going to do something called taking roll. I will check off to see who's here and who's not."

A little girl with blonde curls raised her hand. "Why?"

"I'm glad you remembered to your hand, Amy, but wait until I call on you to talk.

Skyler groaned. How would he ever remember all these rules?

Amy put up her hand again.

"Yes, Amy?" Mrs. Ferguson asked.

"Why do you have to take roll?"

"The school needs to know."

She raised her hand again.

"Yes, Amy?"

"Why?"

"For one thing, the school wants you here for a certain number of days and for another, schools have to keep track of where kids are."

She raised her hand again.

"Let me take roll first. I also need to know who's buying and who's packing."

All during that time, Amy kept her hand in the air, waving it and propping it up with the other hand.

At last Mrs. Ferguson said, "Yes, Amy?"

"I forgot."

Mrs. Ferguson smiled and said, "That's okay. Now we have a number of jobs to do and you all get to take turns doing them. You won't always have a job every week. How about you be the line leader, Brittany. Ryan, you can be the cafeteria helper and take the forks to the cafeteria lady. Jessica Matthews, you can be the trash helper. Jessica Allen, you can be the light helper. Skyler, you can be messenger. Don't worry. I'll tell you what to do when your job comes. Skyler, you already have your first job. "Come here, dear."

Skyler shyly went to the front of the class. She gave him the roll sheet and the paper with the number of buyers.

"Do you remember where the office is?"

Skyler nodded.

"Just give it to the lady at the desk and come right back."

Once he was outside he became scared. The hallway was so big. It could be easy to get lost. He made a right turn. At least he thought it was his right. He walked very slowly. He probably should have taken a left. He just remembered something. He couldn't read. How would he know which door said office? He breathed a sigh of relief. It was the one that had the door open. He remembered when he and Mommy had went in there and he wished she was still here. He had to remind himself that he was too big to cry. He gave the lady at the desk the papers. She said thank you and he went back to class.

When he got there, nobody was at their desks. Was he in the right classroom? Had they left him by himself?

"Skyler," came Mrs. Ferguson's voice, "We're over at the ABC rug."

She told them they would all have to learn their abcs, number, and colors and then they practiced them. A lot of people already knew them but not everybody. That would be their homework every night for a while, working on them. They were all going to get a folder to keep their homework in and things for their parents. They all went back to their desks and practiced copying their names off of the nametag. Skyler wished his name was shorter.

After what seemed like forever, she said they were taking a bathroom break and going outside. They stood in line and took turns going in. As he was going in, a big wise first grade boy told him to enjoy the clean bathroom while he could.

The playground outside was big and had a lot of neat stuff. He couldn't make up his mind what he wanted to do first the slide, the swi—

"Hey, you!" One of the kids called to him from a spinning thing. "Come spin us!"

There were 3 boys and 2 girls on it. One or two of them were in his class and the others were from another kindergarten class. He grabbed one of the bars and gently as possible pushed and it slowly spun around a couple of times.

One of the boys complained, "Come on you can do better than that. Do it as hard as you can."

"I'm not supposed to," Skyler told him.

All the kids began to chant, "faster, faster, faster!"

Skyler didn't want to make them mad. He told them to hold on tight and pushed it almost as hard as he could. They instantly spun at a super speed. It was a blur. They all screamed he grabbed a bar and stopped it. They all looked very sick and dizzy.

"Freak!" one of the girls said.

Skyler looked at the teachers. Luckily, they were talking and hadn't seen and they were also kind of hidden behind larger equipment. He sat down and waited for recess to be over.

They played a game of duck duck goose, as a class, before they went inside. He was in the stew pot twice. He wished he could run fast like his dad.

Inside they learned the song, The Wheels on the Bus, and the motions that went along with it. Then they had art and he painted two pictures, one for his parents and one for his grandmother.

He was glad when it was time for lunch. He was hungry. A whole morning had gone by and he hadn't made any friends. Other kids had. He decided to sit on the end by himself. He opened his lunchbox. He had crustless peanut butter and jelly, chips, cookies, and fruit punch. He took a drink and was about to start on his sandwich, when a boy from his class asked if he could sit across from him. Skyler nodded.

"Hi, I'm Bobby. You're Skyler, right?"

Skyler nodded again.

"What kind of sandwich do you have?"

"Peanut butter and jelly."

"I've got grilled cheese. Do you want to trade?"

Skyler nodded. They traded and started to eat.

"I like you lunchbox. Spider-Man is pretty cool."

"Thanks. I like your Superman lunchbox too."

"Isn't Superman the coolest superhero? Don't you wish you could have his powers?"

"They're okay, but I'd rather have powers like Spider-Man."

"Did you know most of the time Superman is right here in Metropolis?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Have you ever seen him in real life?"

"Sometimes. Everybody in Metropolis does. Do you like school?"

"Yeah, it's okay and I made a friend."

"Who?"

"You, stupid."

Skyler smiled.

"I may not be here the whole year. I'm staying with my Uncle Berry and Aunt Eliza. They're old friends of my mom. Mom and Dad can't take care of me right now."

"Oh."

"They'll come and get me when they can though and then I'll move back to New York."

"That's good. I bet you miss them."

"They call sometimes."

They kept asking questions. Neither of them had any sisters or brothers and they talked for a long time about their favorite TV shows When it was time to go back to class, they had only finished their sandwiches but Skyler didn't care. He had a friend.

Skyler had brought his favorite beach towel to sleep with at naptime. It had a picture of animals at the beach on it. He studied it, but he couldn't go to sleep. He was too excited.

After naptime, Mrs. Ferguson read to them a book about Indians. It was an old Native American tale about how dogs got long tongues. They were going to study about Indians for a while. Everyone got to pick out an Indian name of their very own. She said it had to describe you and a lot of times it had an animal in the name. The girls fought over Tigerlily and Pocahontas.

Skyler had picked out one. He picked Fighting Spider. His voice was so soft, she didn't hear him and she didn't give him another chance to say it. "I have a perfect name for you. Quiet One," she said. Skyler was too quiet to tell her that he didn't like it. He was mad for a little while after that.

They also learned about animals. During snack, he ate the cookies he didn't finish at lunch. After snack, they all had to help clean up the classroom. It was almost time to go home.

When the bell finally rang at 3:00, he was a little sad to see the day end but he couldn't wait to see his parents again. They came to the classroom door, smiling. He went to get his stuff.

"How did you like your first day of school?" his dad asked.

"It was great!" Skyler said.

"I told you," his mom said to his dad.

He looked up at them earnestly and disappointed, "But I didn't learn to read."

His parents laughed and his mom said, "There'll be plenty of time for that. Tell us all about your day."

He began chattering excitedly starting with Bobby.

TBC


	3. The Life and Death of Fuzzy

The kindergarten class had gotten a pet hamster. Mrs. Ferguson said it would teach them responsibility. Every weekend somebody had to take Fuzzy home and take care of him. This weekend was Skyler's turn.

Lois wrinkled her nose as she carried the cage to the car. "This thing stinks."

"Mommy, he's not a thing. He's a hamster."

"I don't care what he is, he still stinks. His cage probably needs cleaned."

"Yep. I have the shreds and his food in my bookbag."

"As soon as we get home, we're cleaning it up. Why couldn't we have been one of those apartments that doesn't allow pets?"

"You're funny, Mommy."

"I'm serious."

Skyler laughed and asked, "Where's Daddy?"

"At work."

"Which work?"

"The cape work. He'll come home as soon as he's done and then we're going out for pizza. It's Friday night. We have to celebrate."

They went straight to the bathroom when they got home and shut the door.

"Okay, you keep Fuzzy entertained," Lois said. "I'll switch the stuff in the cage. Boy, this is gross."

Skyler held and petted the brown and white patched hamster and then set him down to watch him scamper around on the floor.

The phone rang and Skyler shouted, "I'll get it," and ran out the door to answer it.

"Skyler, no!"

It was too late. Fuzzy had made it out as well and was loose in the apartment. Lois set down the bag of shreds she had been dumping in the cage and ran out into the hallway and then into the living room. The hamster was nowhere to be seen.

"Mommy, it's for you."

"Okay. You hurry up and find that animal. He escaped. It's very important, Skyler."

He began running around the room and calling Fuzzy.

"I'm sorry. I don't have time for volunteer work right now…Yes, I know the park needs cleaning. People are lazy and won't pick up their trash…No, I'm really sorry. It's a busy month…Listen, I'm in the middle of something very important. Call and harass me tomorrow…I tell you what, you help me find a hamster that could chew the electrical wiring at any second and make for a very unhappy landlord and I'll help you clean up the park…I didn't think so. Goodbye."

She hung up the phone. "Did you find him yet?"

"No."

"I'm really tempted to yell Superman. We could use your dad's x-ray vision right about now."

"That's a good idea."

"No, your dad is out saving people's lives. That comes before wires. Keep looking."

Lois was on her hands and knees, looking under the computer desk, and Skyler was checking under the couch, when there was a spark and crackle and the news on the TV went off.

Skyler was about to go see what happened to the TV.

"Stay there, sweetie. I'll look."

It was as Lois had suspected. The electricity had fried poor Fuzzy and the television cord to the new TV.

"Sweetheart, go in the kitchen and get me an old dishrag."

"Is Fuzzy dead, Mommy?"

"I'm afraid so, baby."

"Is it my fault?"

"You didn't know Fuzzy was going to escape and Fuzzy was the one that made the choice to chew on the cord."

Skyler brought back a rag and Lois wrapped the hamster up in it and was about to throw him away.

"You can't just throw him in the trash. He has to have a fut—a fur…"

"A funeral?"

"Yeah."

"Okay but I still have to put him in the trashcan. We don't own any ground to bury him in. You ready?"

"I think Daddy should be here."

Clark came through the door in his normal clothes at that moment. "Did somebody say my name?"

Skyler hugged him. Clark saw the hamster in the trash. "What happened?"

"Fuzzy met with an unfortunate accident and he took the TV with him," Lois explained.

Clark looked at the TV and saw the chewed cord. "We just got a new one. It looks like we're making another stop to the TV store this weekend."

"But right now we have to say goodbye to Fuzzy," Lois told him.

The 3 of them gathered around the trashcan.

"Clark, you can go first," Lois said.

"Uh…Fuzzy, I never got a chance to meet you, but I've heard a lot about you. I'm sure you were a nice hamster, who will be greatly missed by Mrs. Ferguson's class. Lois, your turn."

"That's okay," she said.

"Mommy, Fuzzy would have wanted you to say something."

"Okay, let me see. Um, Fuzzy, you stunk a lot and I'm sure you'll stink in the afterlife too. I hope wherever you are, you're watching TV because we're not."

Clark had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Skyler hadn't noticed anything wrong with what she said. She'd said it in a very respectful tone.

"Fuzzy, I'll miss you very much," Skyler said sadly.

His mom put an arm around him. "Ready for pizza?"

Skyler gave an unenthusiastic nod. You could tell he was broken-hearted. "Do you think everybody's going to be mad at me because Fuzzy died on my turn?"

"No, they'll understand," Clark said. "How about after pizza we swing by the pet store and get a hamster just like Fuzzy? We can even name him Fuzzy 2. That way the class still has a pet."

Skyler smiled.

"How about we wait until Monday morning to get the new hamster?" Lois suggested, but when she saw Skyler's disappointed face, she gave in. "Oh, all right. We'll get it tonight."

Skyler's smile came back. "Mommy, can we get Fuzzy 2 first, so he can eat pizza with us?"

"Don't push your luck," she told him. "That rat is staying in his cage the whole weekend and he most definitely is not getting anywhere near my pizza."

They left to get pizza and Fuzzy Number 2.


	4. Sleepovers

"Smallville, I forgot to tell you. Skyler's going home with Bobby after school today. He's going to spend the night and we'll pick him up in the morning."

"What? Lois, we don't even know what kind of people they are. Have you met Bobby's parents?"

"No."

"Lois!"

"I met his guardians at open house. You were in the 'bathroom' saving the world. They seemed like nice people."

"What happened to his parents?"

"I don't remember an exact explanation, but apparently they're going through a rough patch and needed to send him away for awhile. They're not bad people or anything."

"What are these guardian's names? Where do they live?"

"Well, their last names are Luthor."

Clark frowned and folded his arms.

"Lighten up. Their names are Berry and Eliza Roberts. I did a background check. They're well known theatre patrons and back in the day they were a husband and wife comedy team. They performed in clubs all over New York City. They live in Metropolis now, obviously and they're only a 10 minute drive from our house."

"I've heard theatre people are a strange bunch."

"Clark, we can't smother him. It's his first sleepover. Don't ruin it by being an overprotective father. Skyler's a tough kid to hurt and you can keep your ear trained on him, if it makes you feel any better."

"Did you run a background check on his parents too just to be safe?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did and it wasn't easy. Do you know how many Parkers there are in one city? A lot. His dad is Peter Parker. He works at a university as a science professor, but he's also a freelance photographer. He's famous for coming up with pictures of Spider-Man. His mother, Mary Jane Parker, is a retired actress, who mostly acted on stage, but she did make a toothpaste commercial. She's a homemaker these days. It also explains how they met Berry and Eliza. Are you satisfied?"

"I guess."

"See? I don't just send my son out into the wild blue yonder. Oh gosh, wild blue yonder? I just got a scary picture in my mind of me waving to Skyler as he flies off. That won't be for a while, right?"

"That was my last power and I was an adult."

"Most parents worry about their kids running away from home. I worry about him flying away from home. I better go make sure he's up and help him pack while you fix breakfast."

---

"Why don't you put my stuff in my suitcase, Mommy?" Skyler asked, as Lois stuck his toothbrush down in the grocery bag.

"Because you want your stuff to fit into your bookbag, so you won't have to carry a suitcase to school. What shirt do you want to wear tomorrow?"

Skyler went over to his dresser and pulled out a plaid shirt.

Lois' mouth fell open. "Where did you get that?"

"Daddy got it for me at the store last time we were out."

"Did you pick it out or did Daddy encourage you to pick it out?"

"I picked it out all by myself."

Lois sighed and muttered something about fashion sense getting passed down from father to son and how Kryptonians never even had plaid.

"Do you like my shirt?" Skyler asked his mom.

"If you like it, I like it and to tell you the truth, I've always had a soft spot for plaid, but don't tell your dad that or he'll never wear anything else. You'll look very charming in it like a little Smallvillian."

---

Skyler couldn't wait for the bell to ring. He kept thinking about all the fun he was going to have at Bobby's. Berry and Eliza were cool from the way Bobby talked.

He got to ride in their purple car with the flames on the sides and their house was even better. It was a townhouse and outside there were two little patches of ground where you could grow whatever you wanted. But the inside was the best. There was art all over the place: paintings, masks, and sculptures. He could look at them all day. They even had orange-yellow carpet that squished when you walked. Skyler was standing there, taking it all in, when Bobby dragged him off to his room.

Bobby had stacks and stacks of video games. Skyler was sure he would like spending the night. Bobby wanted to play a Superman video game, where you had to save a brown-haired reporter from getting blown up. Skyler was pretty sure it was supposed to be his mom.

"Do you want a turn?" Bobby asked, offering the controller to him.

Skyler shook his head. There was just something weird about controlling your dad's movements.

Bobby lost the game. Superman got exposed to kryptonite and the building with the reporter in it blew up. Skyler shut his eyes tight. He didn't want to think about that happening in real life.

Berry and Eliza called them for supper. Berry had gotten chicken at a restaurant down the street. It was the best, greasiest chicken he'd ever tasted and the mashed potatoes and macaroni wasn't bad either. The nicest part was that they had gotten to eat a piece of chocolate cake before they ate supper. Bobby said they always ate dessert first to make sure they had room.

They played some more video games and didn't go to bed until 11:00. Bobby had twin beds in his room. Skyler was still sitting up in bed after 5 minutes. The fun was over. He missed his own bed and he missed his mom and dad reading him a bedtime story. He was also a little worried about them, since he'd seen that video game. They might need his protection.

"Bobby, are you still awake? I think I want to go home."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just do."

"I know why because you're a baby."

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are. You can't even spend one night away from your parents. You're a big, gigantic baby."

"Nuh-uh. You don't know anything, Bobby Parker. You're a carrot-head."

"Just because I have red hair? So does Mrs. Ferguson."

"Yeah, but you're the only one that's a carrot-head."

"When my dad hears what you called me, he's going to beat you up."

"He can't beat up little kids."

"Then he can beat up your dad."

"No, he can't. My daddy can beat up anybody's daddy."

"No, he can't. My dad's special and your dad wears glasses."

"That's because—you're a carrot-head. I want to go home."

"Then go."

Skyler took his bag and knocked on Berry and Eliza's bedroom door and Berry came out.

"I want to go home, Mr. Roberts."

"Are you sure, Skyler?"

"Yes, Bobby and I aren't friends anymore and I want to go home."

"Okay, let me call your parents." He picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello. This is Berry…Yes, Mrs. Kent. He's fine just a little homesick…Don't worry about it. This kind of thing happens with kids all the time…You just stay there. It'll be easier if I bring him. See you in a bit. Sorry to wake you."

---

Skyler and Bobby became friends again during recess Monday. They weren't even sure what they'd been fighting about. They made plans to spend the night at Skyler's on Friday.

---

Bobby thought it was neat that Skyler got to ride an elevator every day.

"Where's your video games?" he asked, as soon as they came through the door.

"I don't want you two playing video games all night," Lois told them. "It's not healthy. How about you play some good old-fashioned board games and I also bought a new movie for you guys to watch after supper."

Skyler brought out a Spider-Man board game.

"Not Spider-Man," Bobby complained. "Don't you have a Superman one?"

"No. We have Candy Land."

"Spider-Man's fine."

Lois had gone into her bedroom and the shouts 'die, die, die' came from behind the closed door.

"Is your mom playing video games?"

"Sounds like it. She's really good at them."

"And we're not allowed?"

"She says if you play too much, you'll need glasses and get auth-or-rite-is-nous or something like that. She says it's too late for her and that it de-stresses her, whatever that means. I'm only allowed to play 45 minutes a day. She'll probably let us later on."

"Are we eating out?"

"No, Daddy's going to fix spaghetti when he gets home."

"Why not your mom?"

"If you ever tasted my mom's cooking, you wouldn't need to ask that."

While Skyler was taking a bathroom break, Bobby thought he heard a thud and a window shut. He left Skyler's room to see what it was. Skyler's mom had come out of her bedroom too and was blocking him from seeing into the living room. She put her hand over Bobby's eyes.

"Don't look," she said.

"Why?" Bobby asked, as he tried to remove her hand.

"Mr. Kent doesn't like for people to see him in his work clothes when he's not working. It makes him shy. Mr. Kent, quit standing there and go change your clothes."

"Right, I forgot all about Bobby spending the night. "

He quickly came back out in a plaid shirt and started on the spaghetti.

Bobby thought Skyler had some strange parents, but he had a lot of fun and spent the whole night there.

In the morning, Skyler's dad fixed chocolate chip pancakes. Bobby wasn't exactly sure how. He could've sworn the stove wasn't on. He asked about it at the table and everybody got really quiet. Mrs. Kent broke the silence and said it must've been his imagination and it must've been. His imagination acted up again because he thought he heard her whisper to Mr. Kent something about fixing the stove.

Next week Skyler was going to try and spend the night with him again. They were going to take turns at each other's houses every weekend they could.

TBC


	5. Halloween Carnival

Skyler was spinning the miniature globe on his dad's desk, waiting for his parents to get done working. They were taking him to the Halloween carnival at school. He was dressed up as Spider-Man. His parents were going to dress up too. His dad was going as Batman, or in other words, Uncle Bruce. It was an inside joke because Uncle Bruce was going to a Halloween party dressed as Superman. His mom was going as Batgirl. She had almost picked Robin but changed her mind at the last minute.

Just as they were about to leave, Perry came out of his office. "I hate to do this, but there's more to the story you two are working on. Jacob Lackey has just called a press release."

"Can't you send somebody else to work on it or just one of us, Chief?" Lois asked.

"Sorry. You two have been following this story for a week now and isn't that the article you've just written up together? I want you both on it. You know this isn't a 9-5 job. News happens at all times of the day."

"Skyler's really been looking forward to the Halloween carnival, Mr. White," Clark said. "I know we can still take him trick or treating on Saturday, but the school has games and prizes. He was supposed to meet his friend there."

Perry sighed. He was a tough newspaper man but he had a soft spot for his honorary nephew. His eyes suddenly lit up, "Sullivan! Olsen!"

Chloe and Jimmy had just stepped off the elevator, back from an assignment.

"Did you get some good pictures from the charity auction?" Perry asked.

"Sure did, Chief," Jimmy said cheerfully.

"Jimmy, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Chief!""

"I already wrote the blurb for it," Chloe said, holding up her handheld computer.

"Perfect. That means you two can take Skyler to his school carnival thing," Perry said.

"Of course they can," Lois said. "What else are friends and coworkers for and we're practically family."

"We are family," Chloe said.

"My point exactly," Lois said.

"Fine," Chloe and Jimmy said simultaneously.

Lois smiled and picked up the costumes that had been draped over her chair. "Clark and I were going to wear these but—"

"It's a requirement that the adults have to come in costume?" Chloe asked.

"It's not a requirement," Lois said, "but family-themed costumes up your chances of winning the costume contest. You want to help Skyler win, don't you?"

"Darn you, Lois Lane," Chloe said. "This outfit is going to be too long on me."

"So will mine," Jimmy said, "but I know better than to argue with Lois."

"You're darn right you do," Lois said. "Hurry up. You don't want to be late. You still have to go in the bathroom and change, and Clark and I have work to do."

"Have a good time," Clark told them.

---

"Why in the world did CK get tights?" Jimmy asked, as they walked toward the school. "Who wears tights?"

"Superman for one," Chloe answered.

"Yeah, but Superman can pull it off. I wonder why he didn't get a Superman costume? Clark would make a good Superman I think. He could almost be in a look-a-like contest."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jimmy," Chloe said.

"Yeah, I guess it is a little ridiculous."

"Uncle Jimmy, if you get married to Angela, does that mean I have to call her Aunt Angela?" Skyler asked.

"If you want to," Jimmy told him.

"Jimmy, I didn't know you and Angela were that serious," Chloe said, surprised.

"I'm only considering popping the question. Skyler overheard me asking his parents' opinion. Somebody has a big mouth. He must get it from his mother."

Skyler smiled. "What about you, Aunt Chloe? If you ever get married, do I have to call him uncle?"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Chloe said. "The last boyfriend I had was Uncle Jimmy."

"Eww!" Skyler said, making a face.

"Don't listen to her. It's awful funny that whenever Bruce Wayne comes to Metropolis, you end up having dinner with him."

"Just as friends," she replied.

"Right," Jimmy said. "I'm waiting for a wedding invitation to arrive in the mail any day."

Chloe smacked Jimmy playfully on the arm.

"That would be really cool if you married Batman," Skyler said excitedly.

Chloe wrapped an arm around Skyler and laughed. "Kids. Where do they come up with these silly ideas?"

Jimmy smiled. "Maybe he thinks Bruce is Batman. They do both live in Gotham."

"Yeah, a billionaire playboy is Batman. That's a good one," Chloe said, still laughing but with a slight nervous twinge.

Jimmy laughed too and pulled open the cafeteria door where the carnival was being held.

Once inside and briefly out of Jimmy's earshot, Chloe gently reminded Skyler to be more careful about keeping Uncle Bruce's secret.

The first game they went to was a bottle and ring game. The prize was a coupon for free french fries from McDonalds. Skyler tried it and couldn't get a ring onto the bottle neck. Jimmy took a crack at it and couldn't do it either. "Is this thing rigged?" he asked.

Chloe smacked Jimmy on the arm. "He's joking," she told the teacher running the thing. Chloe took a shot at it and got the coupon for Skyler.

"Go, Batgirl! You're the perfect sidekick!" Jimmy shouted, drawing attention.

Chloe almost smacked him again, but he dodged her that time. "It was a compliment," he assured her.

The next game they went to was a frog race game for 2 players. They were cheap little frogs with tabs in the back that made them jump. The prize was that both kids got to keep the frog. They found Bobby there with his guardians. Skyler and Bobby raced each other with the frogs and Skyler won. Bobby was dressed up as his favorite hero, Superman. Berry and Eliza had dressed up too, which was to be expected, considering they were theatre people. They probably had tons of costumes. They had gone with the superhero theme too. Berry was dressed as the Tick and Eliza as Electra Woman, both fictional superheroes.

Berry's cell phone rang to the 'On Broadway' tune. The call was from the director of a play he and Eliza were currently helping to produce. It was a Halloween play set to open tomorrow and run for a couple of days. An important special effects light had fell and broke, damaging a curtain and minorly injuring the actor in the starring role and there was no understudy. The bottom line being, they had to fix this fast and leave the carnival. Jimmy and Chloe offered to watch Bobby and take him home when they got finished. Berry and Eliza agreed to it and hurriedly left.

Jimmy and Chloe had no idea what they were getting into. Two 5 year old boys hyped up on sugary candy prizes was never a good thing.

The real trouble began with the cake walk. When the music stopped, Jimmy was on the 23; the number that was drawn out of the jar. He won a double fudge chocolate cake with sprinkles. Out of all the times for him to get lucky and win something, tonight wasn't a good night for it. Bobby and Skyler snuck off with it and had eaten half of it before they were found. Chloe lectured them and asked them if Spider-Man and Superman would sneak cake. They both answered yes. They had seen their dads sneak a piece of cake before supper.

After that added sugar, Chloe and Jimmy had to run to keep up with them and frequently tell them that they couldn't yell in here. Chloe used to think 'climbing the walls' was an expression, but she could've sworn she'd seen Bobby sticking to the wall like a spider for a second. Skyler tried to do whatever Bobby had done and fell on his behind. Bobby laughed. The only reason, Jimmy and Chloe didn't leave early was that they were waiting on the contest results. At last the decision was made. A girl, who had dressed up like little red riding hood, won. Her parents had dressed up like Grandma and the wolf. Chloe and Jimmy caught the kids and after much complaining on the kids' part and dragging, they got them out to the car and buckled up in the back seat.

Jimmy looked at Chloe with a haggard look on his face before they got in. "I am never having kids."

"Yeah, I think I've made that same decision after tonight."

"And Chloe, if I ever change my mind or my wife changes it for me, just shoot me."

"I will, if you agree to do the same for me."

They shook hands on it and got in the car.

TBC


	6. Birthday Surprise

Skyler was excited. Today was the day of his birthday party.

Yesterday had been his actual birthday. He had taken cupcakes to school and Mrs. Ferguson had let him pick out 2 special pencils from the pencil box.

He had invited all the boys in his class to his party and about half of them were coming. He would also get another birthday party tomorrow for his relatives. He was going to have all kinds of presents. That made a total of 3 birthday parties: a school party, a friend party, and a family party. He was incredibly lucky. He wondered why a person's birthday only came once a year. Maybe people would get too old too fast, so that by the time you got out of kindergarten, you would be white-haired and wrinkly.

As soon as all the guests arrived, the party began. They played hot potato and pin the tale on the donkey in the living room. His mom supervised while his dad got the cake, ice cream, and pop ready in the kitchen.

At last, they were called in where 6 candles were lit. Skyler watched as the flames flickered and danced beautifully.

"Honey, hurry up and blow them out before the wax gets all over the cake," his mother warned.

"But don't forget to make a wish," his dad said.

Skyler wished he could meet Spider-Man one day and blew them out in one breath. The wonderful smell of birthday cake and candle smoke blended together. He was getting ready to ask his dad if he remembered how he had blown the candles off the cake with his super breath on his last birthday, but then he remembered he couldn't ask it in front of his classmates. Skyler couldn't wait until he got super breath because then he would be sure to always blow them out with one breath.

Skyler liked cake, but what he really wanted was to open his presents. He got all kinds of action figures, hot wheels, and a couple of DVDs. His favorite present was from Bobby. It was a pair of Spider-Man gloves that Bobby swore came from one of Spider-Man's old costumes. Skyler wanted to know where he had gotten it from and Bobby said off of eBay.

Skyler helped hand out the bags of party favors, as the guests left.

After everybody was gone, his dad said, "We have another present for you."

"Oh, boy! What is it? Not a birthday whipping, right?" Skyler asked.

His mother laughed, "No. Let's have a seat on the couch." After the 3 of them were seated, she smiled and said, "You're going to have a little brother or sister."

Skyler didn't say anything. He was completely unreadable.

Hid dad put an arm around his mom and used the other to reach across and pat Skyler's knee, "What do you think about that, buddy? Your mom will go to the hospital in a few months and the stork will bring us a baby."

Skyler frowned. "I'm 6 years old. I know where babies come from."

Both his parents' eyebrows shot up and his dad nervously said, "You—you do?"

"From the bellies of mommies."

"I guess you do know," his mom said.

"And before that they're in heaven and God puts them in the mommies' bellies until they get big enough to come out. Then the hospital takes them out just like when Sarah on the 3rd floor got her tonsils out."

His parents laughed and were visibly relieved.

"You're too smart for your britches," his mom teased. "So how do you feel about it?"

"It might be okay if it's a brother and when he becomes big like me. Charlie Daniels has a baby brother and he says all he does is cry and stink. He has a big sister too and all she wants to do is play dolls. She makes him play with her. I don't like dolls."

"We'll have to wait and see if it's a boy or a girl," his dad told him.

"I used to be a girl," his mom said, "and I liked to play boy's games. You just have to see what she likes to play, if you have a sister."

"But if we do get a sister and she likes to play girl stuff, can we trade her for a brother?"

"I don't think so," his mom answered, ruffling his hair and laughing.

"The first one in the kitchen gets the last piece of cake," his dad declared and then super sped into the kitchen.

"No fair, cheater!" his mom yelled after him, "I'm eating for 2 now!"

Skyler yelled, "And it's my birthday cake!"

They split the cake 3 ways.

TBC


	7. A Turkey and A Kidnapping

The entire kindergarten class was going to put on a Thanksgiving play for the school and the parents. Skyler was playing a turkey. Bobby was one of the mashed potatoes. Bobby's guardians, Berry and Eliza, had volunteered to help with it. That's what they were doing now toward the end of the school day, rehearsing.

"Skyler, dear, can you move a little closer to the front of the stage?" Eliza asked.

"That's good," Berry said. "Now we still have time to practice 2 more songs before you all have to go back to your classrooms. I want the turkeys to sing their song first and then the pumpkin pies."

All the turkeys, except 2 who were occupied with staring at the walls, sang, "We are the turkeys. We're the center of the meal. We're not like jerky. We're much juicer and real. We're quite a bird. We're not a phase. Turkey is such a nice word. We last for days. Turkey!"

Berry and Eliza clapped.

"Good job, turkeys," Berry said. "I know your costumes are bulky and it's hard to remember, but I want you to bob your heads during the song. Some of you weren't bobbing, Okay, pumpkin pies, your turn."

"We finish off the dinner with a sweet kick. Who are we? We're the pumpkin—"

Mrs. Ferguson came into the auditorium, where they were practicing. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Skyler's getting picked up early."

Skyler wondered if his sister or brother had come already. He had to take off his costume first and then he had to get his bookbag. Mrs. Ferguson came with him and walked him to the office.

Skyler saw that the person picking him up was not one of his parents. The man had dark brown hair and a mustache, but he could tell it was fake. He looked familiar though and Skyler knew it wasn't a good familiarity.

"He's a bad man!" Skyler yelled, pointing. "I'm supposed to scream if I see him." He started to scream, but the bad man put a hand over his mouth.

"He just likes to play bad guy, good guy with his Uncle Alex."

Skyler pulled off the man's hand like he swatting away a baby's hand. "You're not my uncle. You're a very bad man."

"Don't kids say the darnedest things? We'll play at home, Skyler."

The secretary smiled, "Go home with your uncle, honey. I called your mom and she said he was supposed to pick you up. I just reminded her that normally she should send a note with you."

Skyler looked back at the man and then back at the secretary, "Are you sure she said I was supposed to go home with him?"

"I talked to her personally," the secretary said.

Skyler still didn't feel right about it. The man was not his uncle, but if his mom said so then he probably should. Grown-ups were supposed to know what they were doing. When they got in the man's car, Skyler felt sick and weak like he'd never felt before. He knew something was wrong now. He tried to open the door, but he couldn't.

The man drove away and removed his fake hair, "I'll teach your parents to mess with Lex Luthor."

That was the man's name, Lex Luthor. His parents had shown him a picture one time and said he should yell for his dad if he ever saw him, no matter what. "Super—" Lex had reached back and hit him hard on the head, knocking him out.

Lex shook his head and laughed. "Like mother like son. Always thinking yelling Superman is going to help them."

TBC


	8. Help is on the Way

Clark and Lois came into the office with puzzled faces. Mrs. Ferguson had told them that Skyler had been picked up early. Lois didn't care about the two people ahead of them in line, waiting to talk to the secretary.

"Where's Skyler?" Lois demanded.

The secretary smiled. "I sent him home with his uncle like you said."

"I didn't say. Which uncle? Jimmy or Perry?"

"No. I believe he said his name was Alex."

"Alex?" Lois said in a very angry voice. She went behind the counter. Clark followed her. Lois grabbed the woman by her collar. "Is Alex on the approved pick-up list?"

"N—no," the middle-aged woman said nervously.

Clark placed his hand gently on Lois' arm as a way to remind her to stay calm.

"I—I called you and you said it was okay," the secretary managed to get out.

"You imbecile! Whoever you talked to, it wasn't me. Haven't you heard of redirecting phone calls? Did you at least ask to see the man's id?"

The woman didn't answer but by her silence, it was obvious the answer was no.

Lois growled and looked like she was about to strike the womanm but she released her instead and turned around to face her husband. "It has to be Lex. We just did that huge expose that made him loose LexCorp and could send him to jail. What better way to get back at us?"

"I know I—" he looked around at the small crowd watching. "I'm going to get help."

"I'm going with you."

He hugged her. "We can't put both our children in jeopardy. I'll keep you posted," and he ran out of the office.

---

Skyler regained consciousness, but he still felt ill. He found himself in a tiny, dark room. The walls seemed to be made of metal. He was alone and scared but he knew his dad would find a way to save him. He just had to wait. He felt so weak, he didn't think he could even get off the bed and he was so thirsty, he would happily drink milk and he hated milk. Why was everything so quiet? He began to sing '10 little monkeys jumping on the bed' to fill the silence and make him less panicky. He got down to 4 monkeys, when the door opened.

Lex Luthor walked in, "I always liked jumping on the bed. Your parents will never find you, or Superman for that matter. They will understand what true loss is. When the time is right, I will sell you in a foreign country."

"You can't sell people."

"Oh, can't I?"

"Superman will find me."

"In a lead-lined underground room full of kryptonite? I think not."

So the kryptonite was why he felt sick. He had never been around kryptonite before. "Then the cops will get you."

"They couldn't find you. Maybe if you were a donut. If you want my opinion, I don't think your parents are going to spend much time looking for you with a new baby on the way."

He left the room with a chuckle, knowing he had struck a nerve. Children are always insecure about a new sibling replacing their parents' love for them.

Tears rolled down Skyler's cheeks. Maybe his parents wouldn't come for him.

---

Lois had stayed in the office for a little while. She had paced, yelled at the secretary every opportunity she got, and stayed for police questioning. Someone convinced her that the best place for her to be was at home. In case, there was a ransom or Skyler somehow managed to return. She paced and worried in the apartment. She felt like she was going to go nuts. If only she could help look, but Clark was right. She couldn't put the baby in danger too. At last, she heard the familiar sound of Clark opening the window and thumping onto the floor.

"Did you find anything out?" she demanded anxiously.

He sadly shook his head. "I've combed the city and the surrounding area more times than I can count. Lex is expecting Superman to look, since he always helps the Kents. He knows my weaknesses and he's planned for that. We need another superhero. I know a total of 5 and all of them are unreachable. We also need someone who's unemotionally attached and can remove themselves from the situation. I'll find somebody. Well, I just wanted to update you on the situation. I'm going back out. I stopped by Mom's and told her what happened. She's driving over now. I don't want you to be alone."

She merely nodded. He pulled her in to kiss her on the forehead and then headed back out.

She sat down on the chair and placed her head in her hands and began to cry. There was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called. She had left the door unlocked, not caring who came in if it could lead to finding Skyler. It was Bobby. Berry let him go in and then shut the door after telling the boy he would wait in the hall.

Lois quickly wiped her tears away. She always hated crying in front of people and she couldn't let Bobby see how bad things were. "Hi, Bobby. Did you hear what happened?"

He nodded and stepped closer.

"He'll be fine, baby. If anyone can find Skyler, Superman can."

"I know, Mrs. Kent, but sometimes superheroes need help, even the best ones. I called my dad. He's going to help, but I can't tell you how."

Lois smiled although a fresh batch of tears fell down her face, not only for Skyler but for the sweet innocence of children.

She pulled Bobby in for a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. It didn't get rid of the knot in her stomach, but the comfort she got from hugging Skyler's friend was immense. He was just what she needed right now.

TBC


	9. Rescue

Clark was high in the air when he saw it. He thought for a moment that his super eyes must have been making a mistake for once. It looked like a costumed man swinging from the buildings with web strings. His son's favorite superhero was in Metropolis, but why? He flew down to find out.

Spider-Man spoke first, as he continued to swing, "Pleasure meeting you, Superman. A little bird told me you could use some help."

Superman was flying along side him, "I really could. You're an answer to a prayer. You might have heard of Lane and Kent, they're pretty famous for their work. Their son's been kidnapped and the problem is the kidnapper knows me too well. He's pulled all the stops, knowing I would be the one to come to the rescue."

"That is a problem but that's why I'm here. Any idea where he could be?"

"I don't think he could've made it too far from the city. The cops are on the alert with roadblocks and such now."

"I saw them coming in."

"I think he has to be behind lead or I would have found him by now."

"Lead?"

"Yeah and how many places are made completely of lead? Not very many. I thought a good place to try would be bomb shelters. I had a friend of mine, who's handy with the computer, pull up all the ones in the area, but I can't go busting in there because I know he'll have kryptonite. You'll have to go in and get Skyler out."

"I see what you're saying. It makes sense. So you have the locations?"

Clark had the paper crumpled in his fist. He handed it over.

"Okay. Let's check them out," and they went faster than they'd been going.

Superman led the way since Spider-Man was unfamiliar with the area. It wasn't until the 3rd one that they reached success. They knew it was the right one because Superman fell down and couldn't go in. He moved off and waited for Spider-Man to come out with Skyler.

Clark got nervous waiting. He'd been in there at least 15 minutes. He was about to go in, kryptonite or no kryptonite, but Spider-Man emerged, carrying Skyler. Skyler was in awe and couldn't take his eyes off Spider-Man.

He saw his dad when Spider-Man set him down. "You should've been there. He was so cool with the web and the ducking. All the bad guys are trapped in the web."

Clark couldn't really tell, since Spider-Man had a mask on, but he seemed to be smiling. He wasn't going to x-ray behind it though. That would be breaking a superhero code of ethics, especially after his help. He really wanted to hug Skyler, but he couldn't. It would be too suspicious, so he just said, "I'd better get the police."

"No need," Spider-Man said. "I called inside. They should be on their way."

"Can Spider-Man take me home?" Skyler asked excitedly.

"Sure," Clark answered. "If that's okay with Spider-Man."

"You bet," Spider-Man said.

"I've got to fly. I'm glad you're okay, Skyler," and he shot into the air with his cape flapping.

It would give him enough time to switch outfits and be at home when they arrived. He couldn't wait to share the good news with Lois. The cop cars surrounded the old bomb shelter. Everything was right with the world again. He had to make a stop on the way to save somebody from being shot, so he ended up arriving at the same time as they did.

---

Spider-Man was sticking out on the ledge and Skyler was hanging on his back. His mom opened the window for them. The ride had been awesome. Skyler saw his dad come through the door dressed in his regular clothes. His grandmother was in there too. As soon as Spider-Man set him down, he was smothered by hugs and kisses from his mother and grandmother. His dad managed to get a hug in too. He was silly to have ever thought his family didn't love him. Mr. Luthor was just mean. Maybe because he didn't think anybody loved him. The new baby would be an extra family member, but there was plenty of love to go around. The funny thing about love is you never run out.

"Well, I'm sure Skyler can fill you in," Spider-Man said, getting ready to head back out.

"Thank you for helping us," his grandmother said to him.

"Yes, thank you," his dad said. "And if there's ever anything we can do for you, you let us know."

His mom hadn't said anything but when he looked at her, her eyes seemed to glint with secret knowledge. Did she know something about Spider-Man? That wasn't possible, was it? However, the look of gratefulness and relief outshone whatever it was his mom knew. Skyler forgot all about it, as he watched Spider-Man swing away. He hoped he would see him again someday.

TBC


	10. Christmas Gifts

"Mommy, are you sure Santa Claus knows we're going to be at Grandma's?" Skyler asked.

"I'm positive," she said. "He always knows where you are and he can go everywhere. Now come help me out and sit on the suitcase, so I can snap it shut."

Skyler did. "He's not everywhere. He's not allowed to be at school. We didn't even have a Christmas party."

"Yes, you did. It was just called a winter festival party. Just like you're on Christmas break even though it's called Winter break."

"That's silly. Why can't they just call it what it is?"

"Because adults are silly sometimes."

"I'll carry the suitcase to the living room, Mommy. I'm strong."

"I know you are. Did Bobby like his Superman cape?"

"Yep. Even though Superman is his favorite superhero, I think he's still sad that he didn't get to see Spider-Man when he saved me."

"I can imagine. Is he going to get to spend Christmas with his parents?"

"No, he's spending it with Berry and Eliza, but his parents are sending him a big box of presents."

"That's a shame. I wonder why they can't be around him?"

The phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Skyler said. "Hello...Yeah, she's right here. Daddy's putting stuff in the car…School's fine but ever since I got kidnapped, it's like I'm famous or something. Mrs. Byrd, the secretary, had to find another job. Daddy didn't think I should go back to school, but Mommy said you can't let something scare you into not leading a normal life…Yeah, I think so too. Here she is, Uncle Perry…Merry Christmas."

Skyler picked up his toy airplane and zoomed and dipped with it until his mom got off the phone. "What did Uncle Perry want?"

"Just to wish us a Merry Christmas. He said when we get back, we should swing by to pick up our presents. I have a feeling he'll want your daddy and me to pick up a little work too. The presents are just bribes to get us over there."

"I'm glad Uncle Perry is giving us more presents. I like presents."

"I would've never guessed."

"It's too bad that everyone we love can't get together and have one big Christmas, especially with the General."

"We had Thanksgiving with him. Although between you and me, I'd rather have been at Grandma's. He won't be lonely. He's going to spend it with Aunt Lucy."

"I wish Aunt Lucy was going to be with us too. She's funny."

"Yep, she's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys."

"Maybe that's what she got me for Christmas!"

"Maybe," she laughed.

His dad came through the door and gathered up the rest of the suitcases. "Okay gang, let's hit the road."

---

Skyler was glad when they finally pulled up at Grandma's house. It was decorated so nicely like it always was on Christmas. At night the colorful lights would twinkle and light up the darkness. The pine tree and wreaths were real, making the house smell wonderfully woodsy. The best smell came from the kitchen, however, where his grandma was making all kinds of tasty treats. She was the best cook in the world. Under the trees were presents that overflowed and spread all over the floor. Grandma had waited on him to help string the popcorn, his favorite part of decorating.

The grownups talked for a little bit and then they put on a Christmas Eve marathon of Christmas cartoons. It didn't seem very long before it was completely dark outside and time to get into bed.

"Daddy, can't I just stay up 5 more minutes?"

"You can but the quicker you get into bed, the quicker Santa Claus comes," his dad told him.

Skyler didn't need to be told twice. He was going to be sleeping on an air mattress in his Grandma's room. He raced for the bedroom. He must have been tired because it all went by in a blur. The next thing he knew he heard the footsteps of 3 adults coming up the stairs.

His mom smiled. "Looks like you got an early Christmas present. Super speed."

"It's one more thing you'll have to be careful of around other people," his dad warned.

"He knows that," his grandma said. "Let the boy get some sleep. He's got a big job tomorrow, unwrapping all that stuff."

They turned to leave.

"Don't forget to put out milk and cookies for Santa," Skyler reminded them.

"We did," his grandma said.

"And carrots for the reindeer."

His mom laughed. "You're very thoughtful. I guess they do work pretty hard, pulling around old St. Nick all night."

They shut the door. Skyler practiced super speed for a few minutes and then he shut his eyes to dream of sugar plums.

---

Skyler woke up to the sound of commotion outside his room. It was still dark outside. Maybe it was Santa Claus. Grandma wasn't in bed. Her blankets were messed up, showing she had been in bed. She probably wanted to see Santa Claus too.

When he went out into the hall, his parents were up and awake. His mom looked very uncomfortable.

"Skyler, go back to bed," his grandma said.

But Skyler couldn't. He knew something was wrong.

"I'll fly her to the hospital, Mom. It'll be faster," his dad said.

He scooped her up and flew out the window with her. He could've sworn he heard his mom scream.

"What's the matter, Grandma?"

"The baby decided to come a little early."

"Is it Christmas yet?"

"It's 1:33. I guess it is."

"That's so cool! The baby picked the same birthday as baby Jesus."

His grandma laughed very softly, "I guess it did."

She hugged him, but he could tell she was still upset about something. She went downstairs to sit by the phone.

"You go back to bed, dear," she said when he followed her.

He climbed into her lap. "I'd rather stay down here with you."

She didn't protest any further.

He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew the phone was ringing and his grandma answered it. There was a little light outside, but the sun hadn't finished coming up.

"Hello…Thank God, I've been up praying all night…That's wonderful. Have you thought of a name yet…Yeah, I guess it is rather short notice. Skyler and I will be over right away…No, stay there with Lois and the baby. I can drive. Bye, I love you, sweetheart."

"The baby came?" Skyler wanted to know.

"Yes, you have a little sister."

"I guess I can live with that. I can teach her how to like football and hot wheels and—"

"Sweetie, I have to explain something to you before we go see her."

"What, Grandma?"

"Your sister's going to be very tiny. It'll be a while before you can hold her."

"That's okay. I can just talk to her. She'll know me because I talked to her a lot while she was in Mommy's tummy, but sometimes she kicked. I think she was trying to kick me on purpose."

"She's going to have a tough time until she gets up to a normal newborn's size. She'll be hooked up to machines and things and in the end, God might decide He wants her back in heaven with Him."

"I'm not worried. God'll take care of her. They have the same birthday you know."

She smiled.

"I bet I know why she decided to come early," Skyler said.

"Why?"

"She didn't want to miss Christmas."

"Probably so."

"I bet Santa Claus didn't know she was coming either, just like us. She doesn't have anything for Christmas."

"We'll pick her something up at the hospital gift shop."

---

A little while later, they came into the hospital room, where his parents were. They'd brought a little Christmas tree to set on the table. He had picked out a teddy bear for his sister and his grandma had gotten a preemie outfit.

His grandma kissed his parents on their cheeks.

"Just wait until you see her," his dad said. "She can fit on the palm of your hand and she's got the greenest eyes you've ever seen. I don't know what color her hair's going to be. She's bald."

"Smallville!" his mom exclaimed.

"Well, she is. It's kind of ironic that one of your children was born in Smallville, Kansas."

"Tell me about it," she sighed. "The poor thing."

"There's nothing wrong with Smallville and the hospital is one of the top 100 in the world."

"It has to be," his mom replied. "It stays so busy. It's a home away from home."

"You guys must be in a good mood to banter like this," his grandma remarked. She knew that must mean good news or they would be too worried to joke.

"We are," his mom replied. "The baby is completely developed and functioning like a normal newborn and get this, they couldn't get any needles to go in. She's already developing powers."

"This town is so used to strange things," his dad told them, "they didn't give it a second thought. We're lucky we had her here and not in Metropolis."

"The only sign that she's a preemie is her size," his mom said. "She'll be discharged in 3 days like any other baby."

"It's a Christmas miracle," his grandma said with tears of joy.

"Yes, it is," his dad said happily. "She's a little Christmas angel. We thought of a name. Noel, which means Christmas and Marie, which is a form of Mary."

"Noel Marie Kent. I like it. It's the best Christmas gift we could have gotten. It almost makes you wonder what the point is of opening the rest of the gifts."

Skyler's mouth dropped open.

"I said almost," his grandma assured him and his parents laughed. "Let's go have a peek at Noel and then we'll see if we can bring the presents to the hospital and have Christmas here."

Skyler had a feeling that even though the way Christmas happened was unplanned and a little scary, it was the best Christmas they'd ever had.

TBC


	11. Career Day

Skyler was in his bed, when he heard Noel crying. He waited for his parents to wake up and get her, but they didn't. He decided to go into her room himself. He was frozen with fright when he saw why Noel was crying. Lex Luthor had escaped from prison. He was holding her under his arm like a football and getting ready to kidnap her.

"You can't take my sister!" Skyler found the strength to say. "Put her back in her crib!"

Mr. Luthor just laughed and pulled out some kryptonite. Skyler fell to the ground.

"Your parents will pay. I'm taking your sister and then I'm coming back for you."

Mr. Luthor gave Noel the kryptonite and she grasped it in her little fingers as he climbed out the window with her, chuckling the whole time. Skyler tried to scream for help, but he couldn't.

Suddenly he woke up in a cold sweat. He was still in his bed, but he went to check on Noel just to be safe. His mom was rocking her in the rocking chair.

"Did she wake you up, sweetie?" she asked.

Skyler shook his head. It was obvious he was still trying to separate his dream from reality.

"Did you have another nightmare?" she asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine, Mommy. I know I'm safe."

She didn't look completely convinced that he was telling the truth, but he was having them less often, so she didn't say anything more about it. "Well, as long as you're up, you better start getting ready for school. Don't forget your dad's going with you today."

He hadn't forgotten. Today was career day, where some of the parents would be coming in to talk about their jobs. "I wish Daddy could talk about his Superman job. Everybody would think it was really cool."

"Yeah, but most of the kids can't grow up to be superheroes and it has to be a parent. They don't know that Superman is your daddy."

"I know, but it would still be cool. A reporter is okay though."

She smiled. "I'm glad to know I'm okay."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. I wish I could come, but Noel has a doctor's appointment and I would rather keep an eye on him myself."

"Why? Don't you like Dr. Kline?"

"I like Dr. Kline and he's the only doctor you, your sister, and your dad can have, but sometimes Dr. Kline can be—I just want to watch him."

"He's a good doctor. He has the best suckers."

"I can't argue with that. When your dad comes out tell him to fix you breakfast."

Skyler kissed his sister on the forehead before he left. She was still very little, but she was starting to grow little blonde curls. She wasn't a lot of fun to play with right now, but he still loved her except when she spit up or needed a diaper change.

An hour and a half later, he and his dad were on their way to school. They took the subway because his mom needed the car. They only had one.

Skyler laughed when he saw the parents sitting on the little chairs. They looked so funny, especially his dad, who was the biggest parent there.

The first one up was a dad, who was a zookeeper. He had to take care of the snakes and lizards. A lot of the girls and a couple of the boys made faces when they heard he had to feed them things like mice and bugs. Skyler thought that would be a fun job. He wouldn't have to worry about the animals biting him, but he felt kind of sorry for the mice and bugs. He supposed everyone had to eat though.

Next up was a mom who was an accountant. Skyler still wasn't sure what that was. He tried to pay attention to be polite, but she started talking about logarithms and cosines. Even Mrs. Ferguson looked bored.

Then his dad's turn came. He was more interesting than the accountant had been, but Skyler had heard it all before. Some of the other kids were interested though.

"Do you get to write about whatever you want?" one of the Jessicas asked.

"I don't. Our boss, who's called an editor, tells us what he wants us to write about. Some reporters decide to be something called freelancers and then they can. They have to find papers that will buy their stories."

Josh raised his hand, "How come the ink on a newspaper can come off and get all over your hands and face even though it should have dried?"

His dad laughed. "That's a mystery to me too."

There was time for one more question.

"Have you ever wrote about Superman?" Amy asked, "And is he nice?"

"Well, Skyler's mother writes about him more than I do, but he was my first story. And I may be bias, but I think he's very nice."

The morning went on and they heard from a fireman, a salesman, and a dance instructor. Skyler liked the dancer. She let them get out of their seats and taught them how to do a little clogging. You have to have a special kind of shoe and you get to stomp your feet.

At lunch he sat with his dad and Bobby.

"Why didn't Mr. or Mrs. Roberts come?" Skyler asked Bobby.

"They said they would, but I told them everybody already saw what they did at the Thanksgiving play," Bobby said, as he speared his peaches with his fork.

Skyler thought that he was probably thinking about his parents and how they couldn't be at career day. He often asked Bobby why he couldn't live with his parents, but Bobby never said why. He just said it was a family problem. Skyler understood that. All families had secrets and all people had secrets. It'd be nice if you could always be honest and tell everything, especially to your best friend, but life wasn't always that way.

Skyler was happy at the end of the day. It was a nice break from school and his dad was definitely one of the favorite speakers. Well, except for the mom and dad who owned a candy store. They'd given out free candy. Not even Superman could compete with that.

TBC


	12. Field Trip to the Acquarium

Skyler looked up at his mom. She was rubbing her head like she had a headache.

"Are you okay, Mommy?"

"I'm great. I thrive on getting to school at 6:00 a.m. and riding in the bus with all this noise, and I know I'm going to love chaperoning."

Skyler kept looking at her with a worried expression.

"I'm fine. Field trips are fun. I've just never been at this end of it before. I was always the irresponsible student the chaperone had to watch, but I'll be okay. I'm just tired from getting up so early and I'm a little car sick or bus sick I should say."

She looked out the window and then shut her eyes. "Why does it have to look so blurry outside?" She kept her eyes closed and laid back in the seat.

It was clear that his mom was in no mood to talk or play. He looked at the seat beside him. Bobby would be in the group with his mom, along with a couple of other boys. Right now Bobby was talking to Josh and playing rock, paper, scissors. Josh would be one of the boys in their group. Skyler wasn't jealous or anything. He was just bored and wished he could be talking and playing with Bobby.

There were little holes with stuffing poking through in the brown seat in front of him. He began picking at them to see if he could make them any bigger. At last, the big yellow bus screeched to a stop and the bus driver opened the bus door.

Mrs. Ferguson stood up from her seat in the front before anybody left. "I expect each and every one of you to be good and listen to what the adult in your group tells you. If you're not good, we won't be taking anymore field trips. Remember that."

They all got off and the groups went their separate ways once they went into the aquarium. There was no official tour guides or anything. Josh and the other boy, Jordan, kept pressing their hands and faces against the glass to make faces at the water creatures and were smudging the glass. His mom kept telling them not to. They would listen and then forget at the next tank. His mom was using her 'solider' voice. It always commanded respect, since it sounded like she meant business and she did. He was proud of his mom for that. Josh and Jordan usually didn't listen to Mrs. Ferguson at all, or at least not until the third or fourth time. His mom read the names of the animals for them. They saw angelfish, sharks, and Skyler's favorite, a real live octopus.

They got to a restroom area and she asked if anybody had to go. Bobby, Josh, and Jordan had to.

"I better take this opportunity to go myself," she said, after they went in. "I wouldn't dare leave them by themselves. They'll end up climbing into the tanks. If they get back before I do, you're in charge. Stay right here and don't move. If you run into any trouble yell. There are plenty of grownups around."

"I know, Mommy. I'll be right here looking at the octopus."

Skyler watched as it swam around with its eight arms.

"Fascinating creatures, aren't they?" a man beside him remarked.

Skyler looked up at him. The man had blonde hair and a Miami Dolphins shirt. He was looking at the octopus too. Skyler didn't answer. He was leery of strangers, especially since his kidnapping.

"Did you know that they shoot out ink every time they get scared? The predator is blinded and the octopus takes off."

"Wow, I wish I could see that."

Right after he said that the octopus shot out ink. Skyler looked at the man again and the man gave him a mysterious smile.

"A.C.?" he heard his mom say.

The man turned around. "Lois?"

His mom smiled and gave A.C. a quick, friendly hug.

"I haven't seen you in years. What have you been up to?" she asked.

"Oh, this and that," he said with a smile.

She gestured to him. "This is my son, Skyler."

A.C. shook his hand.

"Lois Lane married with a child. Never thought I'd see the day," he said, turning back to his mom.

Lois laughed. "2 children actually. I have a daughter. Her grandma watches her."

"So you haven't told me who you married. Is it Oliver Queen? I bet it's Oliver."

"Nope. I married Clark Kent."

"I should have seen that one coming. You guys acted like an old married couple even then. Clark Kent, huh?"

"Somebody has to keep Smallville in line. I'd love to keep talking to you, especially to find out what you've been doing. If you're going to be in the area for a while, why don't you come by the Daily Planet one day and we'll go out to eat. Clark's got some ideas I think you'd be interested in hearing."

"Clark? I don't know. Won't things be kind of awkward?"

"That was years ago. Clark's not the jealous type."

A.C. didn't look convinced, but he agreed.

"I've got to get going. I'm actually on my son's field trip right now. Which reminds me did those boys ever come back from the bathroom, Skyler?"

Skyler shook his head.

"Run in there and see what they're up to," she said. "Tell them I'm not afraid to come in there if I have to."

Skyler found them having a water fight at the sinks. Some men were waiting to use the sink and looked annoyed.

"Mom's ready to go," Skyler told them and they followed him out.

Skyler enjoyed the rest of the field trip too. They ate their packed lunches at the fountain outside. He got an octopus puppet at the gift shop. Bobby had forgotten to bring some spending money, so his mom sprung for Bobby's toy shark. Mrs. Ferguson took attendance back on the bus, which was a good thing because they'd left Conner in the Aquarium. It had been a good field trip overall, but Skyler could tell his mom was ready for work tomorrow and he was ready for school. Field trips were fun but exhausting. He'd missed naptime.

TBC


	13. League and Love

"Doesn't all the pink make you sick?" Lois asked, looking around the Daily Planet.

It had been decorated for Valentine's Day. Valentine's actually wasn't until the weekend, but the decorations had been put up anyway. She and Clark had stopped working. They were waiting for A.C. to show up.

"Is it pink or Valentine's day you're against?" Clark asked, rolling over to her desk.

"Both. If you're in love, you don't need pink hearts to be romantic and if you're not, it's just a reminder that you don't have anyone right now."

He smiled. "I bet I know why you're really against Valentine's Day. Remember when—"

"Yes, I remember." He felt the need to remind her every year about when Jimmy had tried to set them up and she had put on the infamous lipstick. It had been downhill from there.

"Just wait until I tell you what I have planned for us this weekend," Clark told her, whispering in her ear. "Mom's going to take the kids. Then we're going to have dinner at La Italia and—"

A.C. came off the elevator. He looked a little uncomfortable. They stood up and went to meet him.

"There's a nice place called Coffee on the Corner that really is on the corner," Lois said. "Their coffee is great and they make really good sandwiches. You can take your choice of eating inside or outside, but I would have to recommend inside, since it's such a cold day."

A.C. just nodded.

---

They sat at a table in the corner. One reason Clark and Lois liked the place so much was that the tables were so far apart, they could easily whisper among themselves.

"I have to admit," Lois said, "I do have an ulterior motive for inviting A.C. to eat lunch with us, other than catching up with old friends."

Clark gave her a surprised look.

"I told him that you had an idea," she said, still talking to Clark.

"What idea?" Clark asked.

"The superhero idea. A.C. is a good person to bounce the idea off of. He has an established career as Aquaman."

Recognition filled Clark's eyes. "Right." He turned his attention to A.C. "Our son was kidnapped a few months ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that," A.C. said. "He's a nice kid."

"We had a difficult time getting him back because of one of my enemies, Lex, as a matter of fact, knew my weaknesses and every superhero has them. We had to get another superhero to rescue him."

"Well, at least he was rescued. What does this have to do with me?" A.C. asked.

"Remember when you and Clark were younger and you formed that little club of yours with Oliver and Bart and a couple of others?" Lois asked.

"I remember. I didn't know you did," A.C. answered.

"I don't, but I'm married to Clark now. I know everything."

"Of course you do."

"Anyway," Clark said, " I think we should start another club, or league would probably be a better word, made up of superheroes. That way whenever a superhero faces a trouble too big to handle alone, he or she has backup."

A.C. nodded thoughtfully. "It's certainly needed. How big would the league be?"

"Not very big at first I'm sure," Clark said, "but I'm also sure it could get very big and the bigger the better. There would be Superman, Aquaman, The Green Arrow, the Flash, Batman, and—"

"You know Batman?" A.C. asked.

"Sure and Spider-Man might even be willing to join. I'm sure there are other people I haven't thought of."

"I have a feeling Spider-Man would definitely be willing to join," Lois said. "I think he has one of those too-big-to-handle problems right now."

Clark looked at her, wondering why she thought that. She hadn't told anybody of her suspicions because as much as she suspected his true identity, she still wasn't a 100 percent sure, just 99.9.

"So what now, dude and dudette?" A.C. asked. He had clearly lightened up during the course of the conversation.

"We make some calls and see what everyone else thinks," Clark told him.

"I've got a name we can call ourselves," A.C. said with enthusiasm. "The Super Sub Club."

Clark was trying to think up a polite way to tell him it was awful, but Lois was always ready to fire her opinions.

"That's one of the worst names I've ever heard. Leave coming up with the name for professionals."

"Like you?" A.C. asked skeptically.

"For your information, I've come up with the name of lots of superheroes in my time as a reporter. How about the Justice League?"

They didn't answer her.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I like it. You can vote on a name when you get enough people together."

---

Skyler was stenciling a cupid onto his Valentine bag. Mrs. Ferguson had brought in a lot of stencils. Skyler liked them because it made it look like a professional artist had made it. Some kids chose to draw without one. It took them most of the morning to finish the bags and then they put the cards in the appropriate bags. Skyler had Spider-Man valentine cards to pass out.

After lunch, it was time for the party. They had cupcakes and fruit punch and the candy that came from some of the kids' valentines. He looked at the one from Bobby first. A cartoon-looking Superman was flying on the card and it read, 'I think you're really super.' Bobby had no idea how close to the truth he was. The one he gave Bobby said. 'You're a real swinger.'

As he was going through the rest of the cards, Ryan, who was sitting on his right, nudged him and said, "You're in love with Jessica Matthews."

"No, I'm not," Skyler said.

Every boy knew girls had cooties, except for their moms, of course. You had to have cootie shots.

Amy, who sat behind him whispered, "Yes you are. Jessica and Skyler sitting in a tree."

"Stop that," Skyler said, starting to get mad and embarrassed.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love. Then comes—"

"Stop it," Skyler said more loudly.

"Behave yourselves everybody," Mrs. Ferguson said. "I know it's a party, but we have to use our indoor voices."

Skyler went through more cards. He found Jessica's. It was a Little Mermaid card and it said 'You're a whale of a friend.' At least he thought that's what it said, so she couldn't be in love with him. He was still learning to read and he had trouble reading most of the cards, but Mrs. Ferguson was helping them out. He didn't want her helping him with that one.

Mrs. Ferguson had to leave for a minute. Josh was the monitor this week, but he wasn't a very good one. He didn't care if anyone talked or got out of the seats. He wouldn't tell on them. Jessica Matthews got up and showed him the card he gave her.

"Does this say 'I love being caught in your web'?"

Skyler hadn't paid a lot of attention to words just the pictures. He nodded.

"I don't love you," she declared. "You're gross," and she punched him hard on the shoulder and went back to her seat.

If he had been normal, that would've probably hurt. Skyler couldn't explain it, but ever since she punched him, he got a nice feeling thinking about the brown-haired, brown-eyed Jessica Matthews. She was pretty cool to be a girl and she was great at kickball. Skyler thought he might be in love for the first time in his whole, entire life. He'd better make sure to get a double cootie shot.

TBC


	14. Revealed Identities

"Remember, call if you need anything," Clark told Skyler.

"He will," Lois said, "but if we're going to catch the train, we've got to go."

"We'll call as soon as we get there."

"We won't if we don't get there. We'll bring you back a NYC sweatshirt or maybe a t-shirt."

"We're only going to be gone a week. Be good for Mr. and Mrs. Roberts and—"

Skyler smiled. He never heard what his dad's last piece of advice was because his mom had pulled his dad out the door. His parents were going to cover some kind of story in New York and he got to stay with Bobby. Noel was staying with their grandma. He would be too if he didn't have to go to school, not that he minded the arrangement.

"Quit staring into space and come check out my new video game," Bobby said.

---

Sunday afternoon they were tossing a tennis ball around in the living room. Eliza was outside tending to her garden and Berry had to run some errands. Skyler was hesitant about playing ball in the house, but Bobby assured him it was okay. Skyler accidentally threw the ball too high and it landed in a vase on the top shelf of a bookcase.

"Oh no, we'll never be able to get it now," Skyler said.

"We have to get it or Eliza will see it when she goes to dust."

"I thought you said Berry and Eliza didn't care if we played ball in the house."

"I lied. Now turn around and I'll get it."

"Why do I have to turn around?"

"Because I said so."

Skyler sighed and turned around. Why had Bobby made him turn around? What was he going to do? He couldn't resist peeking. As he turned his head ever so slightly, he saw a string of web connecting from Bobby's hand to the vase. He tugged and caught the vase in his hands and pulled out the ball. Then he climbed the wall beside the bookcase like a spider and stuck it back on the shelf. Skyler couldn't believe his eyes. Bobby saw him looking and Skyler quickly turned his head back around like he hadn't seen a thing. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

"I told you not to look!" Bobby said. "You can't tell anyone what you saw."

"You can trust me. So, is Spider-Man your dad?"

"Yes."

"That is so cool. My best friend's dad is Spider-Man."

"And it's supposed to be a secret. I'm in big trouble."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll tell you my secret."

"Let me guess. Your dad is Superman."

Skyler's mouth opened in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Don't be stupid. Your dad can't be Superman. He's a geek and I saw your mom hit him once and he said ow."

"He has to in front of people that don't know he's Superman."

"Fine, then let me see you fly."

"I can't."

"Why not? You're Superman's son, aren't you? I have all my dad's powers. Mom says she found me sticking on the ceiling above my crib, when I was a baby and holding my teddy bear on a web of string."

"It's going to take a long time before I get all my powers because they come from the sun. It takes years to store up enough energy. Everyone knows that my dad got his powers because he's from another planet, but how did your dad get his powers?"

"He was bit by a weird spider when he was on a fieldtrip. You are such a liar. Your dad's not Superman."

Skyler picked up the couch with one hand.

"Big deal. You probably work out and I can do the same thing," Bobby said.

"Only because Spider-Man is strong too but still not as strong as my dad." Skyler ran around the room so fast, Bobby barely knew he'd left his spot. "If I knew where New York was, I could run there in a couple of seconds and see my parents."

"Wow. You weren't lying. Is that your only powers?"

"For now."

"Hey, do you think the next time your dad saves the day, I can be there? I haven't got to see him in action except for on the news."

"I doubt it. He'll say it's too dangerous."

"Does Noel have any powers yet?"

"It's very hard for her to get hurt. If you put something sharp on her, it just bends it."

"On you too?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to go get a knife from the kitchen and see."

"Do Berry and Eliza know about your powers?"

He stopped on his path to the kitchen. "No, but if they accidentally find out, Mom says it's okay because they're good people."

"We better not then or they might find out both our secrets."

Bobby looked disappointed that he couldn't stab him with a knife. "Yeah, you're right. No powers. You want to play my racing game? I might not be able to beat you in real life, but I can on a video game."

"Sure," Skyler smiled. He had a feeling they were going to be better friends than ever. They certainly had a lot more in common than they had thought.

---

"We don't need a map," Lois said.

"Then how are we going to find our way around?" Clark asked.

"You've got special abilities. I don't want to look like tourists."

"We are tourists."

"Part of the fun in an unfamiliar city is discovery."

"You're warped, do you know that?"

"If we get too lost, we can ask for directions."

"And that's not a touristy thing to do at all."

"Even New Yorkers get lost."

"I think our Midwestern accents prove we're not from New York."

"Your Midwestern accent. I have no accent. Look there's a phone booth. Let's look for the Parkers' address in the phone book."

"You should have printed it off the internet."

"Are we going to argue the whole time we're here?"

"Looks that way and you know you like to argue. You're the one that taught me."

"I think I did my job too well." Her finger stopped on one of the many Parkers. "I found it."

"Are you sure it's the right one?"

"I'm sure. I saw the address once before when I was doing a background check, remember?"

"Okay. I think I have a piece of paper I can write on in my wallet and I'm pretty sure I've go a pen in one of my pock—Lois!"

"What?" Lois asked, as she finished ripping the page out of the phonebook.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to tear pages out of public phonebooks? It's rude. Other people might need that page. Why do I bother? You never listen to me."

"They get new phonebooks. We don't want to waste time."

"I hate not to call first, but we don't want them to get nervous and leave."

"I hope they're home. We're going to be busy tomorrow with the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Did you see Perry's face when his 2 best investigative reporters wanted to cover a parade?"

"I think he finally figured that we wanted a vacation."

"Or maybe he thought one of the leprechauns is involved in a big scandal."

"Are you sure Bobby's dad is Spider-Man?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. We have to help him with his problem and try to get him to join the league. Anyway we'll find out for sure in a little bit."

Half an hour later, they were knocking on the door of the Parker's suburban home. Mary Jane answered.

"We're Skyler's parents," Clark said. "We thought while we're in town, we'd swing—I mean come by and meet you."

Mary Jane let them in and they went to sit down in the living room.

"Peter's out right now," she told them.

"We know he's Spider-Man," Lois said.

Mary Jane went pale. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't worry we're not going to tell anybody," Clark said.

"But you're reporters."

"That doesn't mean we report everything," Lois said. "We want to help you. Why did you have to send Bobby away?"

"To save him from myself," Peter answered, standing in the doorway.

TBC


	15. Defeating Mysterio

"Save him from yourself?" Clark and Lois echoed in confused tones.

"It's a long story that I'm not comfortable telling you, whether or not you know I'm Spider-Man," Peter answered.

"Would you be more comfortable if I told you I was Superman?" Clark asked.

"I might, but I would have to ask for proof," Peter said with suspicion in his voice.

"And I would give it to you if there wasn't an earthquake in India. I'll be right back." He kissed Lois on the cheek, revealed his costume, and flew out the window, leaving a stunned Peter and Mary Jane.

"Sometimes I think the costume went to his head. It'll probably be a little bit before he gets back. Not even Superman can stop an earthquake. All he can do is minimize the damage," Lois told them.

Peter looked at Mary Jane. "Maybe he can help. Think we should tell them?"

"You promise not to put a word of it in the paper?" she directed at Lois.

"We understand not everything needs or should be put in the paper. We're here to cover shamrocks, not spiders."

"His name is Mysterio," Peter said.

Clark flew back in. "It was just a minor tremor. What were you saying about Mysterio?"

"I said I was the problem, but it's really Mysterio that is the problem. His real name is Quentin Beck. He was the best special effects guy in the world. He's a little bitter that it's the only part of show business he's good at. Now he wants his claim to fame to be taking down a costumed hero, or in other words, he wants to be a supervillain. I'm his target obviously. He's been after me for years. He's only recently discovered that Spider-Man is also Peter Parker and now he's trying to defeat me by taking out my family. He can make himself look convincingly like me, or anybody for that matter. He tricked me into thinking my aunt died one time, but it was just an illusion. He almost lured Mary Jane to her death last year and we thought he might try the same thing with Bobby. I wanted Mary Jane to go into hiding with him, but she's too stubborn. Maybe you can convince her to stay safe by leaving."

Clark shifted uncomfortably and gave a little smile, as he thought of how easy it was to try and convince his wife in a similar situation, "You're asking the wrong person for that, but I will help you. Are you telling me that the job is as simple as seeing past the illusion to Mysterio?"

"Yeah, but that's what makes it impossible to find him. There's certainly enough to put him away for a long time if he could be caught."

"Then it's as simple as using my x-ray vision. I can see past everything but lead."

"You're telling me all we had to do is come to you all along?" Peter asked, unable to believe it was so simple.

"An archnemesis for one superhero," Lois said, "is easily defeated by a different superhero. That's why after he catches Mysterio, we'd like to talk to you about something."

After getting a description, it took Clark an hour to track down Mysterio and cart him off to jail. Then he and Lois sat down and explained their idea to Peter and Mary Jane.

"A league of superheroes?" Peter asked hesitantly. "I've never worked very well with others. I'm more of a loner and I can't travel very far without taking a plane. Maybe I'll be an avenger one day. Right now I feel like I stay busy enough in New York, but if you really need my help in a situation, don't hesitate to ask."

"I understand," Clark said, his voice mixed with disappointment, "and it would be hard to get past D.C. without super speed."

"What are you going to do about Bobby?" Lois asked.

"Well, we'd like to bring him back to New York, but we hate to interrupt his schooling when he's almost finished for the year." Mary Jane said.

"We could let him finish out the school year and visit him on weekends," Peter said to Mary Jane.

She nodded. "Unless Bobby wants to go ahead and come home."

When it got dark outside, Clark and Lois left to find an available hotel.

"After we cover the parade tomorrow, we can have a vacation for the rest of the week," Clark said.

"Or we can use the time to get more superheroes to join the league."

"Perry doesn't give out vacations every time he turns around."

"True, but Perry has come to expect me to use my vacation to bring in a huge story. I'm a workaholic. I can't help it."

"What kind of story are we going to bring in?"

"About the league, of course."

---

"Bobby, the phone's for you!" Eliza called.

Skyler followed him. It was possible that Spider-Man was on the phone.

"Hi, mom," Bobby said.

Skyler was a little disappointed but still interested.

Bobby looked at him intently for a moment, "Yeah, I want to stay until summer…This weekend? Oh boy! I'll see you then, Mom."

"What?" Skyler asked.

"Things are safe again. I'm going home as soon as school is out."

"That's great," Skyler said, excited for him, and then he said sadly, "but we won't be able to be best friends anymore when you move away."

"I know," Bobby said, losing a little of his own excitement.

TBC


	16. Spring Break with Mommy's Dad

Skyler had to spend spring break with his grandfather. It was his mom's dad. In fact, that's what he often did call his grandfather, 'Mommy's Dad', either that or the General like his mom did. Usually they only went to visit him once a year around Christmas and they didn't stay very long. He got the feeling that his mom wasn't very comfortable around her dad and never had been. He had asked her the last time they went to visit why and she didn't go into details, but she said he hadn't really raised her or spent a lot of time with her. Skyler also had the feeling that his dad had to talk her into going that once a year and that was only because she felt obligated because it was her dad. It wasn't that he hated his grandfather, quite the opposite, but the bottom line was that Skyler felt like he was going to spend a week by himself with a stranger, and he was.

His parents had to work and Noel was too young. Noel was lucky. She would spend her days with the nice, loving grandparent and all because in his mom's words, 'The General can't change diapers.' It almost made him wish he was still in diapers.

Bobby was going to spend spring break with his parents, so he wouldn't miss any playtime with Bobby.

He still wasn't quite sure why he had to spend the entire spring break with his mom's dad. He'd listened to his parents talking about it, not because he had super hearing but because he'd eavesdropped at their door.

"He's getting on in years," his dad had told his mom. "He's retired. It's natural that he wants to spend time with his only grandson."

"It's not the best environment for children to be in, not for a whole week," she replied.

"People change. They realize they're not going to live forever and they change for the better."

"Not my father."

"Yes, even your father. He's the only grandfather Skyler will ever know and it's only for a week. You survived 18 years with the man and you turned out better than fine."

"But Skyler's so sensitive."

"It's a week, a trial run. What do you say?"

His mom had said yes. That's why he was standing in front of his grandfather's house, while his dad knocked. His dad didn't stay very long, much to Skyler's despair. He watched his dad drive off and a feeling of fear and loneliness washed over him.

He looked back at the person that theoretically was his grandfather and saw that he was reading the newspaper. He supposed that was just as well. He sat down in one of the chairs. It was hard and his legs were just dangling in the air. The chair wasn't made to accommodate children. He thought about sitting Indian style in it, but he thought his grandfather might frown on that kind of thing.

He looked around the room, since he had nothing else to do. The living room was rather bare. There was furniture, lamps, a TV, and that was about it. There were a total of 5 pictures in the room. 2 of them were of Aunt Lucy, Uncle Ron, and Cousin Susie, there were 2 of some older people he didn't know, and one of a younger woman with a baby. He thought it was a little strange there was none of him and Noel or his parents because his grandma had pictures of them plastered all over the house, but he didn't give it too much thought.

At last, his grandfather spoke to him for the first time since he had arrived, "Hand me a pen."

Skyler looked around for one.

"There's one in the drawer beside you," he said a little impatiently.

Skyler grabbed one out of the end table drawer and took it to him. There was another long silence as his grandfather wrote on the paper then he said, "I don't suppose you know the name of the actor who played Archie Bunker."

Skyler shook his head.

"Didn't think so. I like to do crossword puzzles. It keeps the mind sharp just like exercise keeps the body in shape."

Skyler didn't know what to say. He just nodded. He had no idea how to talk to him. He was shy anyway, but this man scared him. His face had a very serious and grim look all the time. It was hard to imagine it ever breaking into a smile, especially because a cigar always seemed to be hanging from his mouth. Skyler watched the smoke twirl and spiral upward in the air until it dissolved into nothing. It was the only thing to do.

He jumped when his grandfather spoke again, "I suppose you're hungry."

Skyler nodded.

"I'm not much of a cook. I brought some chicken nuggets for the microwave."

Skyler felt a little silly doing it again, but he nodded.

The evening went painfully slow but so did the week. Skyler felt unbelievable joy when he was given the remote. He had been worried he wasn't allowed to watch TV. His grandfather had no spare beds, so he had to sleep on the couch, which wasn't bad. He could sleep comfortably on a couch.

Once his grandfather took him outside to play ball. It didn't go very well. Skyler wasn't the best catcher in the world, especially when he was nervous. "Why can't you catch a ball?" his grandfather questioned. "Your mother could catch when she was 3 and she was a girl." Of course, that didn't help him any. He felt like crying, but he didn't think his grandfather would like that either.

He discovered that it is perfectly possible to never have to call somebody by their name, which was good because he might have accidentally called him Mommy's Dad or the General, which would have been weird.

Skyler also discovered that his grandfather talked a lot about Susie's good grades and imagination. He read him one of the stories Susie wrote and then asked if he could write yet. "I'm still in Kindergarten. I can write my name." Skyler answered. His grandfather shook his head. He thought that was unfair, as Susie was in first grade and probably had help.

He also thought it unfair that his grandfather thought he was lazy and was always giving him work to do. At home he had chores and knew what was expected of him. He didn't know what was expected of him here. The TV time was what got him through the week and saved his life.

When his parents came, Skyler jumped up and ran out to greet them.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" his dad laughed.

"No," he lied. He didn't want his parents to feel bad about leaving him here. He was just happy to see them again.

Unfortunately, they went in to talk for a little while. They had brought Noel. She was constantly cooing now and she liked sitting up. She cried if nobody sat her up. His grandfather looked amused. "She doesn't want to miss a thing. She wants to be able to see the world around her. You were like that too, Lois."

Lois just nodded and looked toward the door. Skyler was looking toward the door too. His mom saw him and smiled a sympathetic, knowing smile.

"Come here, Angel," his dad said, taking Noel from his mom. That was the name his dad called her sometimes, since she was born on Christmas. His dad's nickname for him was Turkey since he was born in November, but his dad didn't call him that a lot because Skyler though he was getting too old for it and he didn't think it was very flattering.

They talked a little over an hour and most of that talk was boring adult conversation. The hour dragged on. Skyler was glad when they stood up to go.

"See you at Christmas," his dad said, as they were going out the door. There were no hugs exchanged like at his grandma's.

As they pulled out of the drive, Skyler looked back. He could see his grandfather watching them leave through the window and for just a second, Skyler thought he looked sad and lonely, but he must have been imaging things.

TBC


	17. Kindergarten Graduation

Skyler held out his hands. Left or right? 'The left hand makes an L shape,' he recited to himself. He felt for the string on his cap to make sure it was still on the left. They had been told that it had to be on the left side. He didn't know why but it did and when you graduate, you move it to the right. He smoothed down his maroon gown. He felt a little silly like he was wearing a dress but of course, he had pants on underneath.

"Skyler Kent," one of the kindergarten teachers called out. He ran over to get in line. They had to line up alphabetically for when they got the diplomas but first they would sing 'The Wheels on the Bus' for the parents. He looked back for Bobby. Bobby was a P and he was a K, so they wouldn't be standing together. 4 letters separated them. Oh well, he would see Bobby after the graduation.

When they got out on stage, there was a lot of flashing from all the cameras. One came from his parents' camera and his grandma and sister were there too. They smiled and waved at him. Another came from Bobby's parents' cameras. They were easy to spot because Bobby's mom had bright red hair. It was still hard to believe that Spider-Man would watch him graduate. Eliza and Berry had come too.

'The Wheels on the Bus' music began to play and they had to sing along and do hand motions. After the wheels went round and round and the wipers went swish swish swish, the principal went to the podium and made a boring speech that none of the kindergarteners paid any attention to and probably few parents did either.

Then she started calling names to come get the thing called a diploma. It would take a little while to get to K. Skyler thought about what the piece of paper meant. It meant the end of kindergarten. That meant no more Mrs. Ferguson, no more naptime, and no more Bobby. When Bobby went into the first grade next year, it would be in New York. His dad had promised to take him to visit a lot but it wouldn't be the same. He wasn't looking forward to first grade next year. The summer would be fun though. He would spend it with Grandma and Noel.

"Skyler Kent," the principal called. His mom made a whistling noise and clapped extra hard. He smiled with pride. His mom was the loudest mom there, or dad for that matter. He remembered to move the string to the other side after he got his diploma. Kindergarten was over. It seemed like it had barely begun.

After the ceremony ended, the parents came to get their kids. His and Bobby's parents were going out together for pizza. They saw Mrs. Ferguson before they left. Skyler hugged her goodbye but Bobby just smiled at her. He probably thought he was too old for hugs, especially from a teacher.

The pizza was really good. Skyler tried to sneak Noel a piece of pepperoni but was caught. Then Noel pulled his hair in 'gratitude' for his noble act, which made him say, "Ow!" Then Bobby pulled his hair in fascination, not knowing Skyler could be hurt like that but of course, it only hurt when Noel did it. "Bobby Gene Parker!" Mrs. Parker said in disapproval. Bobby just smiled impishly in reply.

After everyone was done eating, they went to the train station. It was time for Bobby to go home. Skyler and his family watched as they pulled out of the station. He took his dad's hand and looked up at him with a smile. Spider-Man was a cool superhero but at the end of the day, nobody was cooler than his dad, who tucked him into bed at night, read him a story, and chased away the monsters under his bed. He was sure Bobby felt the same way about his own dad.

They watched the caboose disappear from view and then headed for the car. First grade would be different and scary in a lot of ways but Kindergarten had been that way in the beginning. Skyler was sure first grade would just be a new adventure.

The End


End file.
